Sir Keir Starmer will support an inquiry into Prince Andrew’s Royal Lodge deal.
The Liberal Democrats leader, Sir Ed Davey, quizzed the Prime Minister in the House of Commons today regarding his stance on Royal Lodge.
Sir Ed asked whether Labour would “support a select committee inquiry so all those involved should be called for evidence including the current occupant”.
Sir Keir told PMQs: “It’s important in relation to all properties, Crown properties, that there is proper scrutiny so I certainly support that.”
Sir Keir Starmer will support an inquiry into Prince Andrew’s Royal Lodge deal.
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On Monday, it was revealed that the royal has been paying merely a symbolic annual fee for his 30-room Windsor residence for more than two decades.
The lease arrangement specifies payment of "one peppercorn" yearly, "if demanded", which is how Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, with whom he lives, have managed to retain the substantial property.
This nominal payment structure has sparked concerns about potential income denied to public coffers.
Revenue generated by the Crown Estate, which manages royal properties and land, flows directly to the Treasury to support national finances.
The rent arrangement has intensified scrutiny over whether taxpayers are missing out on substantial income that could have been generated from the royal residence.
Records indicate that the prince entered into a 75-year lease for the property in 2003, making an initial payment of £1m.
According to a National Audit Office report, he was additionally obligated to contribute £7.5m towards renovations that were finalised in 2005.
The lease documentation reveals that should the prince surrender the property, the Crown Estate would owe him approximately £558,000.
He would receive annual payments of £185,865 until 2028, marking the agreement's 25th year.
It comes as Prince Andrew looks set to face further scrutiny as a law which would allow King Charles to formally strip his brother of his dukedom is being introduced in the House of Commons today.
Rachael Maskell, MP for York Central, has set out legislation which would give the King the power to remove the titles from the disgraced royal.
The proposed new law would grant King Charles the power to remove titles on his own initiative, following a recommendation of a joint committee of Parliament, or at the request of the person who holds the title.
Prince Andrew announced last week he would stop using his Duke of York title, however, an Act of Parliament would be required to formally remove the dukedom.
Ms Maskell said regarding the Bill: “It is time for Parliament to act so that it can, or the monarch can, remove titles.
“The Duke of York title may no longer be being used by its holder, but it has not been removed.
“My short Bill, The Removal of Titles Bill, will fix this; I hope it can now be supported by Parliament.”
However, the Bill’s chance of becoming law without Government support is remote and Ms Maskell had the Labour whip suspended in July.